"We release the shame we have carried surrounding the sexual abuse." BRB p. 233

Those of us who were sexually abused often gravitate to self-destructive behaviors to numb the pain and shame. With meetings and the help of our Higher Power, we gradually shed some of the behaviors that keep us stuck. If we have acted out sexually, we learn respect for ourselves and others; if the use of pornography has brought us shame and guilt, we look honestly at its effect and let it go, one day at time; if we have numbed ourselves with "socially acceptable" pastimes, like TV and computer games, we learn to find balance.

Some of us who are connected financially to our perpetrators begin to take steps to become financially independent of them, letting go of their control.

In recovery, we honor our Inner Children who survived the abuse by learning how to play again, by giving them a voice and listening to them, especially around sexual thoughts. We let them know that it's okay to talk, to trust, and to feel. We let them know we are there for them, and that they come first - that they don't have to be sexual to be loved.

On this day I will remember that as I work my program, I am rescuing myself and no longer allowing the abuse to control my life.